Saturday morning craft time!

I found a really cool craft to do with the kids.  We made some St. Patty's Day shirts.  Super easy and super fun!  Sand paper, crayons, a t-shirt and an iron...WaLa! 

Happy Saturday!

Then and Now.

I know I have mentioned it before but my mom is AWESOME!  She is an incredible person, she is giving, incredible loving, smart, hardworking, ..I could go on and on.  We moved to Maryland in June.  My dad came with us so we could start the Fun Bus business.  Mom stayed behind because she filled in for her principal while on maternity leave and then had to push through until she got a job here.  Well, she did it.  Today is her last day at Bailey Junior High.  She will start her new job here as an assistant principal at a high school in a couple weeks.

Bailey has been part of our family for a long time.  All three of us (Casey, me and Michael) all went to Bailey and 10 years ago my mom became the assisitant principal there.  She has done a great job.  She has touched many lives there and she will be missed a whole lot. 

Yesteday she sent me a picture of the billboard in front of the school...it was a tribute to her.  The same billboard that 18 years ago (holy cow..I'm old) I got a shout out on for Student of the Month..what, what! 

Today the whole school will be dressing in red, white and blue (red and white to honor her career at Bailey and blue for her new school).  How thoughtful!  She deserves it because like I said she is totally AWESOME!

Congrats Momma!  We are very proud of you.  Cheers to a new chapter.  Love you to the moon and back.

(side note: the quality of these pics is less than stellar..one was from 18 years ago and one was a cell phone text)

5 years and counting...

Every year for the past 5 years Corey gives me a very special gift.  He prints his year of family blogging into a book. 
A couple months ago at a mommy meeting the topic was organization.  You know what 90% of the mom's struggle with organization was?  Pictures.  They were all stressed about what to do with those envelopes upon envelopes of printed pictures that are still waiting to be put in an album or scrapbook.  Not me.  For once that was not a mommy issue of mine.  I really encourage blogging...its fun.  You can brag about your kids, while showing family near and far what you are up to.  Then at the end of each year you can make a book and WaLa...It does take Corey a few hours to put this together..but man is it worth it!  I look at them often...if Corey see's me he always lets out a huge sigh becasue he knows I am going to be sucked into them for a while.  I love my lil' family. 

Thanks Core...for another fabulous book (even if the bind is wrong..wink wink.  Only you notice things like that).

Side note:  He uses blurb.com to print the books.

Love is in the air.

I am not crazy about Valentine's for the same reason everyone else...it's a Hallmark holiday and blah blah blah.  I do however love a party, I love decorating, I adore sweets, and like to give and get gifts.  I get so mad at myself because I can't keep a surprise.  If I have a gift I want to give it immediately..this is a problem.  I have all these great ideas but I can't do them to early because I can't keep a surprise ...but then when it comes time I always run out of time to do the surprise like I wanted or its all just rushed and then I am stressed.  Ugh...an evil cycle.  I had a bunch of ideas but when it came down to it ...I was out of time.  So Valentine's this year was kinda just thrown together.  So here is some pics of my half a** attempts....

 The kids Valentine's to their classmates.

 Annabelle's craft.

 Jaxson's craft.

 My craft to Corey...I love this idea.  We often write notes to each other on the mirror in the bathroom...so now we have an official place for our love notes.

Funny story about this little craft...on a cold, cold day my dad and I decided to take the kids on a "hike" to find the perfect branch for our project...Somehow we ended up poison ivy free but not without lots of tears and thorn bush wounds...2 small children on a "hike"..in a place not made for hiking is a recipe for disaster.  Nonetheless, we found a perfect branch to paint and hang all our Valentine crafts on...it turned out fun in the end. 

 God, I love these precious kids!

 A card a few of our Fun Bus kids gave to Dad and I ...what a treat. 

and lastly...this is what our Valentine's evening looked like.  9 of my favorite people!  We had a party while a couple parents went out and a couple parents were stuck at work.  Corey, Papi and I conquered...we even had 8 of the 9 in bed at 9pm.  We had a great time.

Live.  Laugh.  LOVE!

Ten Years Ago.

It all starts with a look,

Two people not even trying;

Begin a life of laughing and crying.

These two different lives;

coming together; not knowing what to expect,

will end their lives with no regrets.

We came together with different roots,

living and learning as we grew,

and now here we are, just me and you.

Through this life we will travel;

hand in hand, soul to soul;

Along the way paying lifes little tolls.

So as we turn this page in time,

we add yet one more chapter,

making it together with love and laughter.

by:  Corey Wheat

My heart be still. 10 years ago Corey gave me a journal diary, this poem was on the first page. I love this guy more and more each day!

Quick summary of this journal diary; Corey and I were in our 2nd year of dating...I was crazy in love with him, I sucked at school, I was broke, my Siti died, my brothers moved to Maryland, I got braces, I was engaged ..then I was married, I was still broke, I still sucked at school, I was still crazy in love with Corey, I went to church..I cleaned up my act, I got a real job and then had Jaxson.

At this point you can pick up life at crayonsandkeyboards.blogspot.com...or here in my nest.

Dave-isms.

Papi (my dad) turned 60 this year.  I wanted to do something special for him.  I saw the idea on Pinterest (of course).  I emailed family and friends from near and far and had them send me "Dave-isms".  Of course I wanted 60 of them.  It was great.  We laughed so hard.  He had many blast from his past that participated, high school friends, old neighbors, and sibling and siblings in law.  Hilarious.  My dad is quite the character!  He's very loving and has touched many people in his 60 years...cheers to many, many more Dad.  :) 

Indecisive much? Me? Nahhh.

I changed my mind about blogging...turns out Corey's blog isn't where I want to be.  So I am back here.  Not going to promise a weekly post or even a monthly post..but none the less I am here.  A few of you stressed that you actually liked reading what I had to say ..so thanks for caring.

The change of heart came for a couple reasons...one is that I feel like if I post it here I am held accountable and I need that with my goals this year...(more on that to come).  Secondly, I dug up an old journal diary of mine.  I got the journal in 2002, holy cow I was a different person!  But it was so cool to read where I was in my life...in that journal I would write goals each year and just a bunch of girl stuff.  It was great to jog those old memories ...so if nothing more that's what this will be but this time censored for the world to see...including my kids one day.

I started this blog about a year ago..apparently the first of the year is a good time for me.  I came up with "Robyn's Nest" because at one point I wanted to own a daycare and that's what I was going to call it.  Blessed are the soles who do that business...not my thing! 

Anyways...This is where I will be..for now that is..